As a sign of pride and support of our way of life, we Americans often proclaim our United States as the most free nation in the world. We consider our government far more limited than governments in Europe and we would like to think that we have the freest, most robust economy on the planet. Indeed, there may be truth to some of these claims. But have you ever stopped to wonder, are we really as free as we say we are?
I am first disturbed by the God-awful regulation of private property. First, we’re taxed on the value of our property in the form of yearly property taxes. Second, we’re required to obtain licenses from our communities to build houses, barns, or even add things to our house like decks or storage units. Third, we cannot improve our property unless our property falls within the correct development zone for what we want to build on it. Fourth, we cannot form a business on our property without obtaining business and tax licenses, among many others depending on the type of business we want to open. Fifth, in small communities, town councils must approve property improvments or vote to welcome your business into the community. Sixth, Kelo V. New London has confirmed the government can take away your property and give it to some other private organization for the raising of tax revenue. And we call ourselves a free country? You cannot even cross the road legally without a crosswalk; to do so is jaywalking!
The ability to own and develop private property used to be thought of as a sign that society was free. But I cannot see how that really applies anymore. In my opinion, our society is licensed to death and must get permission from government agencies to pursue commerce and industry in ways the founding fathers would have never even dreamed. The erosion of private property rights are just a small glimpse of the type of administrative society we’ve become. No longer is our focus on freedom and liberty, but rather, regulation and control.
The more regulations and laws we have, the more freedom is lost. John Adams said “Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” Indeed, I believe as we approach a society that values regulation more than freedom, our liberty is slowly erroding away before our very eyes. The populace doesn’t see it because it is a gradual process. But it’s our fault really; American society is not vigilant enough to see what we have become - a society based on regulation and legislative tyranny, not freedom.